"Lor"e was the entry from Austria for the category of Best Foreign Language Film for the 85th Academy Awards in 2013, though it was not recognized as one of the final nominees. While there were some aspects of the film I liked, the overall package wasn't especially strong and perhaps this is why the film did not receive a nomination.

When the film begins in 1945, the Nazi government is toppling. This is impacting one particular family in the movie, the Dresslers. Apparently the parents were war criminals—though exactly what they did is never really discussed in the film. All you know is that the mother and father are gone and the oldest child, Lore (Saskia Rosendahl),has been told by her mother to get herself and her siblings to their grandmother's house near Hamburg. Considering that they have no money, they are in the far eastern portion of Germany (or perhaps in Poland) and want to travel hundreds of miles to the west as well as Lore appearing to be about 15, this is a very daunting task. Most of the film consists of the children scrounging for food and scheming to make their way to safety and shelter. Eventually, however, Lore becomes disillusioned and their reunion with Grandma isn't so happy after all and the film ends.

There is so much about this film that seems unanswered and vague. Who, exactly, the man was who teamed up with them and helped them is never really revealed—nor his fate. Similarly, why the parents (especially the mother) are war criminals isn't too clear. But, most importantly, exactly why Lore becomes disenchanted isn't really 100% clear. You assume that she has become skeptical about the Nazis and the rightness of the cause…but her actions in the end of the film could be attributed to many things—such as the repressive atmosphere at Grandma's. And, if she was disillusioned by the Nazis or horrified at their evil, what exactly caused this change in Lore? Could it simply be looking at the identity papers and photos from one supposedly dead Jew? And, apart from Lore growling at Grandma and stomping on some trinkets, how are she and the siblings going to deal with all this? All I know is that so much of the film is left to the interpretation of the viewer and had I not read a brief summary on IMDb, I would have felt lost.

The idea of a girl slowly coming to realize the evil of her country and parents IS intriguing—and in the documentary Hitler's Children you see interviews with surviving family members of many of the worst Nazi butchers of the war. However, with "Lore", the message seemed muted and not nearly as compelling. This, combined with the extensive use of the hand-held camera and a slow plot, made this film a bit of a letdown for me. While it's not a bad film, it sure could have been a lot more interesting.

If you do want to see the film, be advised that there is a decent amount of nudity and rather graphic depiction of suicides that are unsettling. I would have expected Lore and her siblings to perhaps see photos of dead Jews or concentration camp victims—but you don't. These folks were mostly Nazis who either killed themselves with gunshots to their head or were murdered brutally.

"Lore" was just released on DVD and is also available through Netflix.

As the Allies close in, Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) and her Nazi parents try to hide in the countryside. Her parents are fighting. Her new life is rustic. First her father abandons them. Then her mother leaves telling her that the Allies kill the children. Finally they are kicked out of the farm by the owner. She has to lead her four younger siblings to their grandmother in Hamburg. The world is a dangerous place filled with desperate people. They are helped out by Holocaust survivor Thomas but she is conflicted about the parasitic Jew.

This is a little thought provoking movie. It's a fascinating journey of a young woman trying to come to terms with the lies of her parents. It's not simplified. There are twists and turns. They are not out of line. The journey probably needs a few more dangerous moments to elevate the tension. For the most parts, it's a slow simmering tension. This is more about Lore's personal journey of her thinking about the war and her parents.

I must say that I was pretty curious about "Lore" as I heard a lot of good things about it and the awards recognition this film got speaks for itself. Apart from that, it was Saskia Rosendahl's big breakthrough performance and I saw her in films she made after this one and liked her. And while I cannot say she disappointed me here, I also expected a better performance. And still Rosendahl was among the better aspects of this film. There were some performances in these almost 110 minutes that were downright bad that were so stereotypical and by the books that they looked any individual touch.

Apart from that, the story wasn't too memorable either. It's a bit sad to see since director and writer Kate Shortland isn't a rookie to movies at all. It wasn't even her very first full feature film and she also worked on several series and short films before that. Germany is so prolific in terms of films that deal with World War II, Nazis or the 3rd Reich, so it's probably not a surprise that many of these do not exactly deliver quality. This is one of the weaker films unfortunately and if there is any reason to see it, it's probably Rosendahl who was maybe a 6/10. But many other aspects were clearly inferior. Not recommended.